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A review by ashureads
I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver
5.0
I wish you all the best by:
Mason Deaver
Rating: 5/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Book: 43/50
Spoiler(ish) review
TW for this book & review:
- abuse
- transphobia
- depression and anxiety
Thoughts on plot & theme:
This was a book I've had my eye on for ages now not just because of the non binary rep but also because it seemes like an interesting story. It definitely reached my expectations and even exceeded them in may ways. One of my favourite parts about this book was what I took away from it and the rep too.
I wish I read this a few years back when I was going to and from toxic relationships, thinking I had to be friends with those people because they had shown me kindness even though they made my life awful. The reason this book would have helped me is because Ben (the main character) gets kicked out his house for being Non-binary. Their parents misgender them, mock them, hurt them in so many ways yet Ben feels like they have to carry on loving them. The quote that hit me the hardest was "how could you not love your parents". It's a quote to think about and one that made me tear up. I felt like this with those friends. I thought 'how could i not love them? They've given me a place in their group' perhaps i can even say the same about my own family. The biggest lesson I took away was that no matter how much 'love' or 'kindness' or 'praise' someone gives you, there can be a great deal of abuse that outweighs this. It's a key element of this book: abuse. How Ben and their sister gets over that abuse they both faced when in their household. The ammount of healing Ben goes through within the book only scrapes the surface of the ammount of work victims of all types of abuse have to face. I can say for sure that it's more than it seems.
I'm glad this wasn't a romance story even though I initially thought it would be. Instead I took away a lesson that I wish I knew long ago but glad to know now. You deserve better, you can turn away. You shouldn't have to stay with people who hurt you so much just because you once loved them. The book manages to take something as complex as abuse and make it understable without disrespecting it. This type of abuse isn't something that LGBTQIA+ people face but everyone. That is why I think anyone and everyone could and should read this book.
Thoughts on characters:
Ben was so incredibly well written and they put a lot of the feelings trans people like myself feel into words, especially in terms of coming out. I liked how their slow recovery was shown and how the author didn't just make Ben suddenly getting better. I thought it was as realistic as it could get for the length of the book and was done well, the fear of facing a therapist, how changing one feels like square one. Overall I think Ben was a well written and developed character. Nathan was such a lovely character I wish there was more people like him- I thought it was funny that it was so obvious and hinted at that he liked Ben but they didn't realise it. It made the story cute with some moments that made me smile so much!
Overall:
A book that tackles such heaviy subjects yet doesn't make it feel too heavy and showcases it in a way that you can understand even if you're not educated on it. It teaches you that you can walk away even if it's hard there's other people who are willing to show you so much more love without a hint of hate. A romance story between two opposites which shows a jouney of healing. All in the best way possible.
Mason Deaver
Rating: 5/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Book: 43/50
Spoiler(ish) review
TW for this book & review:
- abuse
- transphobia
- depression and anxiety
Thoughts on plot & theme:
This was a book I've had my eye on for ages now not just because of the non binary rep but also because it seemes like an interesting story. It definitely reached my expectations and even exceeded them in may ways. One of my favourite parts about this book was what I took away from it and the rep too.
I wish I read this a few years back when I was going to and from toxic relationships, thinking I had to be friends with those people because they had shown me kindness even though they made my life awful. The reason this book would have helped me is because Ben (the main character) gets kicked out his house for being Non-binary. Their parents misgender them, mock them, hurt them in so many ways yet Ben feels like they have to carry on loving them. The quote that hit me the hardest was "how could you not love your parents". It's a quote to think about and one that made me tear up. I felt like this with those friends. I thought 'how could i not love them? They've given me a place in their group' perhaps i can even say the same about my own family. The biggest lesson I took away was that no matter how much 'love' or 'kindness' or 'praise' someone gives you, there can be a great deal of abuse that outweighs this. It's a key element of this book: abuse. How Ben and their sister gets over that abuse they both faced when in their household. The ammount of healing Ben goes through within the book only scrapes the surface of the ammount of work victims of all types of abuse have to face. I can say for sure that it's more than it seems.
I'm glad this wasn't a romance story even though I initially thought it would be. Instead I took away a lesson that I wish I knew long ago but glad to know now. You deserve better, you can turn away. You shouldn't have to stay with people who hurt you so much just because you once loved them. The book manages to take something as complex as abuse and make it understable without disrespecting it. This type of abuse isn't something that LGBTQIA+ people face but everyone. That is why I think anyone and everyone could and should read this book.
Thoughts on characters:
Ben was so incredibly well written and they put a lot of the feelings trans people like myself feel into words, especially in terms of coming out. I liked how their slow recovery was shown and how the author didn't just make Ben suddenly getting better. I thought it was as realistic as it could get for the length of the book and was done well, the fear of facing a therapist, how changing one feels like square one. Overall I think Ben was a well written and developed character. Nathan was such a lovely character I wish there was more people like him- I thought it was funny that it was so obvious and hinted at that he liked Ben but they didn't realise it. It made the story cute with some moments that made me smile so much!
Overall:
A book that tackles such heaviy subjects yet doesn't make it feel too heavy and showcases it in a way that you can understand even if you're not educated on it. It teaches you that you can walk away even if it's hard there's other people who are willing to show you so much more love without a hint of hate. A romance story between two opposites which shows a jouney of healing. All in the best way possible.